Journey to Winterfell
by gonnahaveagreatday
Summary: Sansa accepts Sandor's offer of taking her home, but not before bringing Shae with them.
1. Sandor, Sansa & Shae

Because I don't know the game of thrones world as well as I do other fictional worlds this is going to be a learning process for me. But thank you for the encouragement along the way.

HijadeSandor - Gracias, mi amiga. Espero que tu disfrute continue. :)

* * *

Sansa rushed to her room, taking the candle on her table to the side of her bed. She remembered the doll her father gave her. Her father, Ned Stark. He would've known what to do. Oh how she missed him.

"The ladies are starting to panic." The Hound said from the chair in the corner of the room, startling Sansa out of her revere.

"What are you doing here?" Sansa asked with as much force as she could manage. The queen had said that the ladies in the room she'd just fled were in for 'a bit of a rape'. And looked Sansa up and down before telling her she was no different in that. Perhaps the Hound was wanting to do so? But no, he'd only ever been kind to her, in his own rough way.

"Not here for long," he replied coarsely, the one eye he was able to see Sansa with from his right, he turned ashamedly "I'm going."

"Where?!" she cried

"Someplace that, isn't burning." Sandor replied with a forced laugh. He turned his whole face to her. "Lost, might be," he nodded "could be." He turned back to his lap.

"What about the king?" Sansa asked quickly, holding her father's doll tighter.

"He can die just fine on his own." The Hound said, taking his ale and slowly taking a swig. That's when Sansa's hope for victory became lessened. A soldier would know whether the battle would be lost or not, and here Sandor Clegane was, telling her just what she hoped. Joffrey would die in battle, and she would be free. But the soldiers that would come through and take all the women? Her?

"I could take you with me." Sandor said, hesitantly swinging his head around to turn to her fully again. "Take you to Winterfell," He paused a moment, gaging the reaction Sansa had, then slowly stood from his chair, his swords and armor clinking at the movement. "I'll keep you safe." She knew if Shae were here, if father were here, they would say not to trust him. Sandor had walked to her and stood a respectable pace away. His head bent back slightly, tired of all the fear that was sudden cast onto his shoulders. "Do you want to go home?" He asked gently, not expecting an answer either way. Sansa forced herself to look down, shaking with fear now. This was a chance, whether Joffrey would survive or not, to go home. But she didn't want to risk his wrath, either.

"I'll be safe here," she replied quietly. "Stannis won't hurt me," Sansa added.

The Hound took a step in and grabbed her shoulders. Her head still ducked down, her fear showed on her face now.

"Look at me." He commanded gruffly. She did. "Stannis is a killer. The Lannisters are killers. Your father was a killer. Your brother is a killer. Your sons will be killers someday," His voice took on a euphoric tone, as if hoping he'd stay alive long enough to see them. He let her go and stood erect. "The world is built by killers." Sandor sniffed, looked away nervously. "So you better get used to looking at them." He leaned in again. With his eyes completely on hers, Sansa felt much safer. Her shoulders unbent, her fear gone from her face and her boy, she stood tall as well as he had done.

"You won't hurt me." Sansa stated. Sandor stood tall again, surprised by her words.

"No little bird, I won't hurt you," he replied. Sansa's mouth opened slightly, Sandor looked down at her for a moment, waiting for her.

"I will go with you," Sansa decided. "But I want to take my handmaiden with me." She added.

"We don't have time to go saving everyone in the bloody castle." The Hound replied impatiently.

"Not everyone, just her." Sansa insisted. "I will go back to the queen's quarters, she must be back by now. And when I have her we can leave."

Sansa led Sandor out of her room after unlocking it and peeked around the corners.

"We don't have all day, come on." Sandor said, then went ahead of her, leading her to the quarters. The hall she'd fled from was where they reentered, the ladies too wrapped up in terror to notice them. Shae had indeed returned, took a look at Sansa and the Hound.

"What is he doing here?" Shae asked

"It's alright, he won't hurt us. He'd going to take me back home, I want to take you with me." Sansa replied. Shae smiled slightly.

"Well, if this one decides he wants someone to warm his bed tonight, I can easily protect the both of us." She decided, taking Sansa's hand and glancing at the Hound in distrust. Sandor looked back at her in annoyance. Sandor followed the ladies until the battle came closer, then he stood before them, large and tall enough to mask one lady with the other behind her.

They managed to make it out, the fires and screaming becoming distant.

"We must steal some horses." Shae said, looking at Sandor before heading to the stables.

"I'm sure no one is there to stop us from doing so." He replied sarcastically

"They're too busy fighting to worry about runaways, idiot." Shae snapped. She disappeared into the stables, Sandor outside of them in case someone were to come by. Sansa stood a reasonable distance from him, glancing at both him and the shadows Shae had disappeared into.

The sounds of horse hooves signaled that the handmaiden had done it, Sandor helped Sansa onto one of the horses, and Shae hopped onto the other. He was about to climb up onto Sansa's horse before Shae hissed at him.

"You get onto this one, dog." She commanded. Sandor rolled his eyes and did as the woman commanded. Then they fled the battlefield. Before seeing the Tyrell's with Tywin Lannister at their side, had won the battle.


	2. River Run

Shae wanted to just travel across the prairies, hide in the forests and deal with whatever troubles lay ahead that way. But Sansa knew her wardrobe would not withstand it, and Sandor wanted Sansa to feel some vague sense of normalcy while traveling home.

They stopped at River Run first. The dinner there was the best Sansa had had since she first came to King's Landing. Shae was given new clothes that were better cover against the weather, and Sansa was given many gifts in honor of her father. The lords there promised to send word to her mother, telling her of Sansa's new safety. Sandor wanted to leave the castle a day after they came, discovering a new problem.

"Having been in King's Landing as long as I have, I know the Queen's spies when I see them. They're here, even with your family's allies." He's seen an unnoticed spy of the queen's, they were excellent at hiding and there was no telling what they would hear if he, the handmaid Shae or Lady Sansa talked to someone too close to their vicinity. "We need to leave soon, without telling anyone." He turned to Sansa "And you can't stand out as a lady of noble birth, little bird. We'll steal some of the maid's clothes before leaving." Sansa looked to Shae for assurance or defiance, whatever the woman thought best. Shae thought for a moment.

"What about her hair?" She asked, hesitantly touching the red strands now. Sansa imagine her hair cut to the scalp and flinched.

"Dye it, cut it; cover it. There's many ways to keep Lady Sansa's identity hidden," Sandor replied simply. Shae nodded and Sansa felt a little less assured of the way things were going. She looked at the man who'd secreted them away from under the queen and king Joffrey's noses.

"Do you think they'll still be looking for me?" She asked the Hound

"The king's betrothed and his favorite hostage? I doubt Joffrey cares about much else at present. But he has better things to worry about, since his grandfather helped save King's Landing," Sandor said. Sansa nodded and looked away. Sandor stared at the lady, wishing he could just rest a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. He glanced up at Sansa's handmaiden, who was staring back at him. With the Hound's look Shae understood his intention, and so Shae rested her hand on the lady's shoulder. At least someone was comforting her.

"We'll get suitable clothing for you, my lady. Right now we can settle for covering your hair, when that isn't enough we'll have to cut it." Shae said. Sansa blinked and nodded, her rescuers noticed a tear rolled down her cheek.

"It's only hair, little bird," Sandor chided her gently.

"This hair marks me as the oldest Stark girl, I know that," Sansa began "but I've grown it out for so long. My mother brushed it for years. When I miss her the most I can feel the way she'd put pressure on the brush over my hair. Now I don't know the next time I'll see my mother, if ever. And my connection to her will get severed either way." She said. Shae embraced Sansa, holding the lady as she quietly sobbed. Sandor walked away to tear himself from piling onto the touching moment, and Shae pulled Sansa with her. They traveled down the hallways and sneaked a few garments from the servant's quarters.

As night fell, no one noticed a giant, and two little pale figures racing across the River Run lands to their next destination. None of them knew as yet where it was.

* * *

When he opened his eyes, he could only see through one of them. Tyrion's vision cleared, as Maester Pycell stood over him, his smug smile the only thing offered.

"Pod." He stated, looking up from his pillow, discombobulated at his new quarters "POOOD!" Tyrion roared, his door squeaked opened an instant later. Then he saw his faithful servant beside it. "Find Bron, or Varys. Tell them I am here with Maester Pycell and I am very much alive," He instructed.

"Yes, Mi'lord," Pod replied, quickly shutting the door behind him as he rushed out. Maester Pycell leaned farther over Tyrion.

"Would you like something for the pain?" The old man asked, the smug smile still glued to his face. Tyrion shielded his wounded face from the maester, not wanting to touch the bandages even himself.

"What happened?" Tyrion asked

"The murderer and traitor Stannis Baratheon suffered a stunning defeat at the hand of your father." Tyrion looked away, taking in the details of his quarters.

"Where am I."

"These are your new chambers," Pycell replied in disinterest, looking about the room himself. "A little cramped perhaps, but you don't need much room, do you?" He said, laughing to himself. Tyrion stared back at him in defiance, hurt welling in his uncovered eye.

"You are no longer Hand of the King." Pycell added. Although the Lannister lord knew this would happen, it still stung being said out loud. Pycell walked away, then took a step back to Tyrion, taking out a gold coin. He showed it to the lord.

"For your trouble," then tossed it to the man's bed, Tyrion flinched at it. Maester Pycell then left.

Varys was the first visitor Tyrion had after his unpleasant conversation with the old man. The eunuch sitting at the dwarf's bedside told him of the queen's attempted assassination of her little brother. He didn't want to believe it.

"Why would I lie?"

"To create strife between my sister and me," Tyrion stated.

"Where before there was nothing but love," Varys replied in sarcasm. The knight Pod had shoved a javelin through had tried to kill him on his sister's orders.

"Pod," Tyrion began

"Yes milord?" Podrick asked

"Would it be, excessive of me to ask you to save my life twice in a week?" Tyrion asked. Pod smirked.

"No, milord."

"You're a good lad."

Bron wasn't head of the gold cloaks anymore, his father and sister were. Tyrion's hill tribesmen had been paid off as they'd been promised a while ago. Now he had no one else to protect him save for perhaps his brother, and Podrick. Shae had secreted Sansa off, and now Tywin knew of his son's disobedience. Many soldiers had been dispatched to bring the lady back. Joffrey said dead or alive, Cersei had said make sure she's still fit to bear children. Tywin hadn't disagreed with either of them, and now Tyrion feared for Sansa's safety. He loved Shae, and he knew Shae loved him before. But now with this wound over his face, who can tell if the mysterious foreign beauty would still care for him. And who could tell if Sansa would be alive by the end of the week.

Tyrion isolated himself in his room until he could bring himself to take the bandage off. An ugly scar would now be across his face, over his left eyebrow, across his nose, and down to his cheek. He was a monster now, as well as a dwarf. Perhaps it was best that Shae didn't see him like this.


	3. The Eyrie

HijadeSandor - Eres muy amable, espero mantenerte como seguidor.

* * *

The Tyrells still helped the Lannisters win the war at King's Landing, everything is still basically the same except Shae is still alive, Sansa is away from Joffrey and Sandor might end up taking care of both the Stark daughters.

* * *

They'd been recognized three times on the way to the Eyrie. Sansa's hair cover did most of the work of hiding her, but everyone recognized the Hound and threatened to take Shae. Despite seeing those people cut in half, Sansa still wasn't in agreement with Sandor over killing being the sweetest thing on earth. Shae decided they would work on disguising themselves better at the Eyrie, the day they presented themselves to Sansa's aunt Lysa, the damning red hair she loved so was dyed raven black.

Robin didn't like Shae as soon as the handmaiden spoke, but Lysa ignored the boy's cries to throw her through the moondoor. Sandor distracted the boy enough with his size and his stories of fighting and war to keep Shae safe. And Sansa breathed a long sigh of relief, being safe at her aunt's residence.

Being at Aunt Lysa's was not as easy as Winterfell, although not as challenging as King's Landing. Shae continued to get into conflicts with Robin to the point Lysa wanted to banish the handmaiden. The only reason Lysa didn't banish her was Sansa would not stay in the Vale if Shae was not with her.

Each night for dinner was entertaining to say the least. Robin and Shae would argue, and Lysa would scold the woman or her son, or both. Sansa had wanted to invite Sandor to their dinner several times, but the Hound declined politely, saying he would do better eating with the other soldiers. He was too messy an eater to feast in the company of lords and ladies.

(this chapter isn't done yet, please standby)


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